The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for cutting and treating vegetation, and more particularly to an apparatus and method for cutting vegetation while simultaneously applying a treatment fluid to the remaining stems of the cut vegetation.
Power companies periodically cut the vegetation that grows along powerline right-of-ways to maintain access to the powerlines and to minimize line losses. Access is required to facilitate service and repair of damaged powerlines. Excessive line losses may occur when high, dense vegetation beneath the powerline causes the electricity flowing through the powerline to bleed into the ground. The higher and more dense the vegetation, the greater the spurious radiation loss from the powerline. Similarly, highway departments periodically cut the vegetation that grows in medians and along roadsides to enhance the safety of motorists and pedestrians. Cutting the vegetation improves visibility and provides a shoulder along the road for emergency stops. As the demand for electrical power and highways increases, the number of right-of-way and roadside miles multiplies exponentially. Accordingly, power companies and highway departments continually seek more efficient and cost effective methods for cutting vegetation along right-of-ways and roadsides.
Power companies and highway departments have discovered that it is advantageous to treat the vegetation at the time it is cut with a treatment to control the growth of unwanted vegetation, or to reduce the rate of growth of desirable vegetation. The vegetation is typically treated with a granular or fluid treatment such as a growth regulator, herbicide, pesticide, fungicide, fertilizer or biological agent, depending on the desired result. The application of a treatment fluid to vegetation is most often accomplished by broadcasting the fluid through the air so that the treatment comes in contact with the vegetation, and is held in place by adhesion of the fluid to the individual plants. The most common methods of broadcasting treatment fluids include spraying the treatment in the area containing the vegetation from an aerial vehicle, from a ground vehicle fitted with a series of spray nozzles, from a hand-held sprayer or from a mower equipped with a treatment applicator. As yet, however, there has not been a mower equipped with a treatment applicator which is capable of cutting vegetation and treating the cut vegetation in a non-horizontal orientation, such as on a hillside using a mower head attached to the end of a hinged boom arm.
Unfortunately, these broadcasting methods do not permit accuracy or control in applying the treatment fluid to the plants. Broadcasting methods, and spraying in particular, allow the treatment to come into contact with desirable plants, and to be applied in areas other than the area to be treated. Once the treatment is broadcast into the air, the spray pattern becomes random and some plants may not be treated at all. Further, when the concentration of the treatment is high, the operator usually applies more treatment than is necessary, and thus substantial amounts of the treatment are wasted. Treatment fluids are typically applied until the foliage of the plant is visibly wet. Thus, there is no way of predicting how much of the treatment will fall onto the ground around the plant where it may contaminate the surrounding soil and the underground water system, and how much, if any, of the treatment will be absorbed into the vascular system, or translocation stream, of the plant where it will produce the desired result.
DowElanco, a manufacturer of herbicides, instructs users that its fluid chemistry is effective only if the treatment penetrates the foliage and is absorbed into the translocation stream of the plant. As a result, chemical companies produce chemicals known as xe2x80x9cadjuvantsxe2x80x9d that enable treatment fluids that are broadcast by spraying to penetrate through dense foliage. Many treatment fluids also include a surfactant to promote absorption of the agent into the translocation stream of the plant. Nevertheless, usually only a small percentage of the volume of treatment fluid that is broadcast by spraying actually reaches the translocation stream of the plant. The remainder of the treatment fluid falls onto the ground where it may mix with precipitation and run onto surrounding land, or may vaporize into the atmosphere and be blown by the wind onto surrounding land.
Naturally, farmers and people living in close proximity to powerline right-of-ways and highways object to the application of treatment fluids which results in run-off or wind drift. Consequently, power companies and highway departments are often restricted by governmental regulations and local ordinances from broadcasting treatment fluids by spraying. Even though the power companies and highway departments regularly heed these regulations and ordinances, environmentalists complain that anytime a treatment fluid is applied by a broadcasting method there is necessarily some contamination of the ground and underground water system, as well as some risk of run-off and wind-drift. Further, in the event that a chemical contamination of the ground or water in the vicinity of the treatment area occurs, the power companies and the highway departments cannot conclusively prove that the cutting and treating operation was not the source of the contamination.
Various apparatus exist for cutting and treating vegetation with a treatment fluid. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,908,444 and 2,939,636 issued Oct. 13, 1959, and Jun. 7, 1960, respectively to Mullin; U.S. Pat. No. 2,973,615 issued Mar. 7, 1961, to Yaremchuk; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,332,221 issued Jul. 25, 1967, to McCain each disclose a rotary lawnmower equipped with a fluid chemical sprayer. U.S. Pat. No. 5,237,803 issued Aug. 24, 1993, to Domingue, Jr. discloses a xe2x80x9cbushhogxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cbatwingxe2x80x9d cutting apparatus equipped with a fluid chemical sprayer. The sprayers are located above the blade and within the housing of the mower so that the spray of treatment fluid is confined to the area immediately beneath the housing as the mower moves over the ground. The treatment fluid is dispersed by the centrifugal force generated by the rotating blade, or is released above the blade of the mower, so that a portion of the fluid vaporizes as it impinges the housing and/or the rotating blade of the mower. Nevertheless, the treatment fluid may fall onto the ground around the plant, and the vaporized treatment may be carried by the wind onto surrounding land. In addition, none of these apparatus are capable of cutting vegetation and treating the cut vegetation in a non-horizontal orientation, such as from the end of a hinged boom arm.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,878,633 issued Mar. 24, 1959, to Mullin and U.S. Pat. No. 3,090,187 issued May 21, 1963, to Livingston each disclose a rotary lawnmower equipped with means for distributing a treatment fluid to the rotating blade of the mower. The Mullin patent further discloses conduit means for delivering the treatment fluid to an axial bore formed in the rotating shaft of the mower which terminates at an orifice formed in the underside of the blade. The centrifugal force of the rotating blade, however, throws the treatment fluid out from the orifice in droplet form. The Livingston patent further discloses a longitudinal groove formed in the leading edge of the blade for delivering the treatment fluid to the underside of the tip of the blade. Accordingly, the treatment fluid is applied directly to the freshly cut stem of the plant. The distributing means of the Livingston mower, however, is open to the atmosphere. Thus, the treatment fluid may be spilled onto the surrounding ground, or vaporized and carried by the wind onto the surrounding land.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,926,622 issued May 22, 1990, to McKee discloses a rotary brush cutter and herbicide applicator. The cutter includes a plurality of cutting blades and the applicator includes means for delivering the herbicide adjacent the cutting blades so that the herbicide is applied to the brush as it is being cut by the rotating cutting blades. In one embodiment, the applicator further includes a closed conduit for transporting the treatment fluid from a container mounted on the housing of the rotary cutter to an outlet port adjacent the cutter blade. The conduit includes an elongate tube fixed to the external surface of the rotating blade so that the outlet port is in fluid communication with the axial shaft of the rotary cutter. The tube, however, may break or kink as the blade bends longitudinally, and is subject to being punctured or torn away if the blade strikes a relatively immovable rock or stump.
As is apparent from the limitations of the above rotary mowers, an apparatus and method is needed for cutting vegetation and treating the cut vegetation with a treatment fluid which does not broadcast the treatment fluid onto the surrounding ground or into the atmosphere. Accordingly, it is an object of the invention to provide an apparatus and method for cutting vegetation and simultaneously applying a treatment fluid to the remaining stems of the cut vegetation without broadcasting the treatment fluid onto the surrounding ground or into the atmosphere.
It is another and more particular object of the invention to provide an apparatus and method for cutting and simultaneously treating the remaining stems of the cut vegetation which includes means for delivering a treatment fluid to the underside of a cutting blade so that a stream of treatment fluid is continuously available to the remaining stems of the vegetation.
It is another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus and method for cutting and simultaneously treating the remaining stems of the cut vegetation by introducing a treatment fluid to the translocation stream of the vegetation.
It is another object of the invention to provide an apparatus and method for cutting vegetation and simultaneously applying a treatment fluid to the remaining stems of the cut vegetation which is capable of being used in any orientation, and in particular in any inclination from horizontal including vertical.
It is another object of the invention to provide an apparatus and method for cutting and simultaneously treating vegetation which includes a removable, hermetically sealed fluid container means for containing the treatment fluid.
It is another and more particular object of the invention to provide a method and apparatus for cutting and treating vegetation with a treatment fluid which minimizes spillage, waste and spoilage of the treatment fluid.
It is another object of the invention to provide an apparatus and method for cutting vegetation and simultaneously applying an accurate amount of a treatment fluid to the remaining stems of the cut vegetation.
It is another and more particular object of the invention to provide an apparatus and method for cutting and simultaneously treating vegetation which includes a flow control means for accurately metering the amount of treatment fluid that is delivered to the cutting blade.
It is another and more particular object of the invention to provide an apparatus and method for cutting and simultaneously treating vegetation which includes a ground speed detection means for detecting the ground speed of the mower so that the desired amount of treatment fluid is applied to the remaining stems of the cut vegetation.
It is another object of the invention to provide an apparatus and method for recording the location and the volume of a treatment fluid that is applied to powerline right-of-ways and highway medians and roadsides.
The invention is an apparatus and method for cutting vegetation and simultaneously treating the remaining stems of the cut vegetation with a treatment fluid such as a growth regulator, herbicide, pesticide, fungicide, fertilizer, adjuvant, surfactant or biological agent, which is preferably water-born. The treatment fluid is applied without broadcasting, such as by spraying, the treatment onto the surrounding ground or into the atmosphere. Instead, the treatment fluid is delivered from a hermetically sealed fluid container through a fluid conduit to the underside of the cutting blade in a continuous fluid stream.
Accordingly, the treatment fluid is continuously available to the cut ends of the remaining stems at the time that the vegetation is cut so that at least about 75-95% of the treatment fluid is absorbed directly into the translocation stream of the plant in near zero time, thereby maximizing the efficacy of the treatment and vastly reducing the required amount of treatment fluid as well as amount of active ingredient.
The apparatus includes a mower, a cutting blade drive means for rotating a cutting and treating means including at least one cutting blade assembly rotatably mounted on a blade carrier, a fluid container means for containing the treatment fluid, a flow control means for metering the amount of treatment fluid delivered to the cutting and treating means, and fluid conduit means for delivering the treatment fluid from the fluid container means to the cutting and treating means.
The mower may be any maneuverable tool for cutting vegetation which is movable over the ground, or above the ground such as for trimming hedges, trees and orchards. For example, the mower may be a push lawnmower, a conventional power lawnmower, a riding lawnmower, an engine driven tractor, a bushog mower, a batwing mower, a harvester, a hydraulic feller buncher, a high speed saw head, a high speed shear head, a sickle bar, a multiple disk mower, a reel mower, a flail mower or a mower head attached to the end of a hinged boom arm. For purposes of illustration only, the mower described herein is a conventional bushhog mower which is attached to the rear of an agricultural tractor.
The mower preferably includes a generally planar mower deck having a central opening therethrough for receiving the cutting blade drive means therein, a pair of generally linear, opposed sides, a generally linear front wall and an arcuate rear wall. At least a portion of the rear wall may include a plurality of short lengths of debris chain for preventing debris, such as loose stones, from being expelled from the underside of the mower deck. The mower is provided with at least one wheel secured to the mower deck for facilitating movement over the ground and for supporting the cutting and treating means at the desired height above the ground. A plurality of upright stanchions are fixed to the top surface of the mower deck for retaining the fluid container means therebetween.
The cutting blade drive means is secured to the mower deck and includes an elongate drive shaft received within the central opening of the mower deck. The cutting blade drive means is preferably powered by the power takeoff from the tractor which pulls the mower. However, the cutting blade drive means may be powered by a gasoline engine, or a hydraulic motor mounted to the topside of the mower deck. In a preferred embodiment, a bevel gear is provided adjacent one end of the drive shaft for engaging the rotating shaft of the power take-off of the tractor. The cutting and treating means is secured to the other end of the drive shaft. Regardless, the cutting blade drive means rotates the drive shaft of the cutting blade drive means which in turn rotates the blade carrier and at least one cutting blade assembly of the cutting and treating means. The drive shaft of the cutting blade drive means has a fluid conduit formed therein defining a continuous fluid passageway so that the drive shaft of the cutting blade drive means is in fluid communication with the pumping means and the cutting and treating means.
The cutting and treating means is secured to the drive shaft of the cutting blade drive means adjacent the underside of the mower deck, and includes at least one cutting blade assembly rotatably mounted on a blade carrier. The blade carrier may be any shape for mounting the at least one cutting blade assembly thereon. In a preferred embodiment, the blade carrier is an elongate bar having a central opening for receiving the cutting blade drive means therein, and at least one opening adjacent an end of the bar for receiving a cutting blade assembly therein. A lengthwise fluid conduit is provided between the central opening and the opening adjacent the end of the bar. The fluid conduit defines a continuous fluid passageway so that the drive shaft of the cutting blade drive means is in fluid communication with the cutting blade assembly. In another preferred embodiment, the blade carrier is a generally planar disk having a plurality, and preferably four orthogonally spaced, cutting blade assemblies mounted thereon.
At least one cutting blade assembly is rotatably mounted adjacent an end of the blade carrier. Preferably, a cutting blade assembly is mounted adjacent each of the opposed ends of the blade carrier. The cutting blade assembly includes a cutting blade shaft and a cutting blade hub secured on the cutting blade shaft. The cutting blade hub includes a cutting blade disposed outwardly therefrom. Preferably, the underside of the hub is saucer-shaped so that if the hub strikes an obstacle on the ground in the path of the cutting blade, the hub will travel over the obstacle without transferring a shock to the cutting blade. The leading edge of the cutting blade is beveled to provide a sharp cutting edge. The cutting blade assembly has a fluid conduit formed therein defining a continuous fluid passageway so that the fluid conduit provided in the blade carrier is in fluid communication with the underside of the cutting blade.
The fluid container means is secured between the upright stanchions provided on the topside of the mower deck. The fluid container means includes at least one substantially hollow, hermetically sealed fluid container cell containing the fluid treatment. In a preferred embodiment, the fluid container means includes a plurality of stacked, interlocking, removable, interconnected fluid container cells. Each of the cells is made of a material which is substantially resistant to ultraviolet light, such as polyurethane, polyethylene or polyvinylchloride (PVC) plastic.
An inlet port and an outlet port is provided on each cell and fitted with the female portion of a double end shutoff fitting. The male portion of the fitting engages the female portion of the fitting to permit treatment fluid to flow from an upper cell to a lower cell, and from the lowermost cell to a bulkhead fitting adjacent the pumping means. A flexible fluid conduit connects the outlet port of each upper cell to the inlet port of the next lowest cell. The flexible fluid conduit from the outlet port of the bottommost cell passes through the pumping means and is connected to a fitting provided on the housing of the cutting blade drive means. Accordingly, the fluid container means is in fluid communication with the cutting blade drive means. The male portion of the fitting which engages the female portion of the fitting in the inlet port of the uppermost cell is connected to an in-line filter and breather cap for venting the fluid container cells to the ambient atmosphere. The filter prevents debris, insects, etc. from entering the system without restricting the entry of ambient air.
The cells are stacked so that the bottommost cell is automatically filled with the treatment fluid from the upper cells as the treatment fluid is applied to the vegetation. Any number of cells may be filled at a remote location so that the treatment fluid is not spilled at the worksite where it may contact workers, contaminate the surrounding soil or the underground water supply. The cells are hermetically sealed so that the treatment fluid will not spoil or lose potency. A predetermined number of pre-filled cells may be stacked so that the user need not interrupt the cutting and treating operation to refill cells or to replace empty cells. The emptied cells are returned to a formulator for refilling without the need for rinsing at the treatment site and are never disposed of in public land fills or dumpsters.
The flow control means meters the amount of the treatment fluid which is delivered by the pumping means to the underside of the cutting blade. The flow control means includes a control unit which is electrically coupled to a ground speed detection means. The ground speed detection means includes a sensor for detecting the angular velocity of the rear wheel of the tractor, and thus the estimated ground speed of the mower. In a preferred embodiment, a ground speed detection means is provided adjacent each of the rear wheels of the tractor and the angular velocity of the rear wheels is averaged and multiplied by a correction factor to more accurately estimate the ground speed of the tractor. The control unit is also electrically coupled to a DC stepper drive motor which drives the pumping means so that the desired amount of treatment fluid is applied to the vegetation in the area being treated.
The fluid conduit means defines a continuous fluid passageway so that the fluid container means is in fluid communication with the cutting blade assembly of the cutting and treating means. The fluid conduit means includes the flexible conduit extending between the outlet port of the bottommost fluid container cell and the fluid fitting provided on the housing of the cutting blade drive means, the continuous fluid passageway defined by the fluid conduit of the cutting blade drive means, the continuous fluid passageway defined by the blade carrier, and the continuous fluid passageway defined by the cutting blade assembly. Accordingly, the fluid conduit means forms a continuous fluid passageway for delivering the treatment fluid to the underside of the cutting blade so that a stream of treatment fluid is continuously available to the remaining stems of the vegetation at the time that the vegetation is cut.